If you're trying to grow awareness for your B2B brand, products, or services, you likely know that...
Today, we're diving into a topic that's crucial for B2B companies yet often misunderstood: SEO. Unlike B2C or e-commerce, where constant technical updates and extensive keyword lists are essential, B2B SEO is more straightforward – though this doesn't mean it's easier. It's simply a different kind of challenge.
In B2B, you're not aiming to rank for every product variation like in B2C. Your focus is on a limited set of keywords specifically related to your products and services. For example, if you're selling CRM software, your target keywords will be directly linked to your software's features and the problems it solves. So without further ado...
1. Optimize Content on Major Pages
This seems like an obvious no-brainer, and yet, plenty of B2B companies do not properly optimize their site content, particularly their homepage or core sales pages. While blogs and pillar pages can and do rank, your homepage in particular will be the highest value page you have and should be optimized around the highest-value keywords you're able to target. If you're selling a small-business CRM, your homepage should clearly indicate that, well, this is website for a company that's selling a small-business CRM.
Of particular importance are title and H1 tags (in most cases, that's the large bold headline on your page), which tell both search engines as well as readers what your product/service is and who is it for. While it's often tempting to get creative and brandy, it's best to save that for lower-value real estate.
2. Focus on Long-Tail Keywords
In B2B, you're often up against large directory sites and incumbents ranking for general keywords. Utilize long-tail keywords to build your site's profile and eventually compete for more difficult terms. Another benefit of creating content targeted towards long-tail keywords is that it allows you to demonstrate your expertise in solving problems for customers and/or highlight your product's unique features.
3. Efficient Code is Crucial
A fancy website with slow loading times won’t do you any favors. In B2B, it's about efficiency, not extravagance. Buyers are more interested in whether your product meets their needs, not in flashy website designs. That doesn't mean that you shouldn't invest in a good design, but be mindful of how more advanced functionalities can impact page speed, which has been a major ranking factor for several years now.
4. Don't Chase Traffic
This may seem counter-intuitive, but you shouldn't try to rank just to generate traffic. Unless you're selling ads, it's is not the end-all-be-all metric you should care about. Instead, focus on conversions and conversations and create content that aligns with your high-value keywords instead of generic industry terms or industry-related questions.
Wrap Up
Success in B2B SEO is about understanding your niche, optimizing your content smartly, focusing on long-tail keywords, ensuring website efficiency, and prioritizing conversions over mere traffic. Once you master these fundamentals, continue creating relevant content aligned with your keywords. And remember, you might not need an SEO agency on retainer unless they're producing quality content for you.
Need help getting an SEO strategy that actually drives sales for your business instead of spam contacts and non-existent conversions? Talk to us! With almost 20 years of SEO and content strategy experience, we know what tactics work for acquiring traffic that gets deals and what tactics you don't need to be successful.
